HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — A former nine-year NFL player and now the Raiders head coach, Antonio Pierce can’t think of another tight end like Brock Bowers, who is playing like anything but a rookie.
Bowers, taken 13th in this year’s draft out of Georgia, is putting up impressive stats.
Pierce said Bowers is incomparable because of his combination of size (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), athleticism, strength and dependable hands. And Bowers is producing even though opposing defenses are sending double teams and their top cornerbacks at him.
“They know we’re going to throw him the ball and we’re going to keep throwing him the ball,” Pierce said. “He’s winning those matchups. I just think the way he plays the game after he has the ball, it’s really like a running back. He’s a receiver when the ball is in the air, and when he has a ball in his hand, he’s punishing people.
“I can’t really speak highly enough about this player. This player is doing a hell of a job this year for us, and it’s no secret what we’re going to do each and every play when there’s an opportunity to throw it to 89.”
This is what Bowers is doing from a historical perspective:
— His 84 receptions lead all NFL receivers, the first time this late in a season a tight end has topped the chart since former Raider Todd Christensen in 1986.
— He is on the verge of setting and perhaps smashing the rookie tight end single-season catches record. Sam LaPorta had 86 receptions in 2023 with the Detroit Lions.
— He’s had three games of at least 10 receptions, one of three rookies to accomplish that. The others were Odell Beckham Jr. with four games in 2014 with the New York Giants and Jaylen Waddle with three in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins.
— With 884 yards, he is closing in on becoming the third rookie tight end to reach 1,000 yards. The others were Hall of Famer Mike Ditka in 1961 with the Chicago Bears and Kyle Pitts in 2021 with the Atlanta Falcons.
Joe Horrigan, former executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said comparing eras is tricky because the position has changed from when tight ends were used primarily as blockers to becoming more involved in the passing game.
Horrigan said Bowers’ season conjures up memories of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. After starting just once as a rookie with the then-San Diego Chargers in 1979, Winslow led the NFL in receptions each of the following two seasons and surpassed 1,000 yards both times.
“Everybody recognized Kellen Winslow is a remarkable not just tight end but athlete,” Horrigan said. “He was pretty exciting to watch. That’s where I look at these tight ends today, and Brock’s a perfect example. There’s more focus on them because they’re so effective in the way they play and how they’re used.”
Bowers had double-digit catches and more than 100 yards in two of the past three games, but said he often thinks during a game that he’s playing poorly.
“I think it helps me play a little better when I think I’m not doing well,” Bowers said.
Even Bowers might be hard-pressed to find weak spots in his performance in Friday’s 19-17 loss at Kansas City. He faced a top-10 defense led by an aggressive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo.
Not to mention Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell was making his first start in nearly six weeks because of a broken thumb. But the two looked as if they’ve been playing together for a decade, with Bowers catching 10 passes on 14 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown.
“I think you could probably put a lot of quarterbacks in and have good chemistry with Brock,” O’Connell said.
Bowers has five games left to put up numbers not seen from a rookie tight end. Or most tight ends.
Which should put him in contention for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“I’ve never played with anybody like him,” veteran running back Ameer Abdullah said. “When it comes to speed, I think of somebody like Darren Waller, who can catch the ball and run away from people. He has that type of speed, but he also has a certain body control I’ve never seen, a certain poise that I haven’t seen in a rookie.
“I can’t compare him to anybody, and I don’t think we should.”
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